A quality improvement provider protocol addressing perinatal depression identification and treatment in a prenatal clinic
Abstract
Depression during the perinatal year affects one in seven women, making it the most
common complication of pregnancy. It has been well-documented that perinatal depression is
associated with poor outcomes in both maternal and child health. Universal screening for
depression is feasible and screening with follow-up improves perinatal outcomes for mothers and
their children. It has been shown in the literature that lack of provider education and confidence
is a barrier to identification and treatment of perinatal depression. Therefore, the purpose of this
quality improvement project was to improve provider screening and management of perinatal
depression at a prenatal clinic in central Texas through provider education and implementation of
an evidence-based screening and referral protocol. A pretest/posttest design was used to evaluate
provider beliefs, attitudes, and self-efficacy before and after implementation of an evidencebased protocol and an educational webinar covering perinatal depression, screening tools,
treatment options, and when to refer. Three of the 13 provider survey items addressing a sense
of responsibility and self-efficacy reached our goal of 10% improvement. The other items did
not reach this level, but showed a positive shift towards increased provider self-efficacy. One of
the important outcomes of this project was to create a network of mental health providers to
whom the clinic could refer women with positive perinatal depression scores.
Rights
This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with its source. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the author and/or publisher.White-Corey, Shelley